


A Heart Made of Yarn

by Kate_Reid



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cats, Cozy, Domestic, F/M, Gen, Quiet, Reading, Tea, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:27:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27074203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kate_Reid/pseuds/Kate_Reid
Summary: Rey has a perfect day.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 12
Kudos: 47





	A Heart Made of Yarn

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ksco](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ksco/gifts).



> This is a birthday gift for one of my very favorite people. Happy birthday, Lauren! Please have a cup of tea and a gentle broom of your choosing. 💙💙💙
> 
>   
>    
> 

Rey was ready for a perfect day. 

The night before, she’d disabled every alarm that might wake her before she was ready. So, today, she’d risen in her own time, with the hazy daylight tickling her nose and making her squint as it trickled through her blinds. Yawning, she extended her arms and legs for a luxurious stretch, flexing under the soft warmth of the duvet.

Rey took some time to enjoy the way she felt right at this moment. She was cozy and comfortable. Her temperature was perfect and her body felt refreshed; she’d slept without getting all sweaty and had managed to do it in a position that didn’t have her aching upon waking.

Sitting up in bed, she pivoted, then slid out from under her covers. Her bare feet went immediately into the fluffy slippers next to the bed, not even a moment for her toes to chill. Upon standing, she walked straight to her door to pull her fluffy robe off its hook, donning and tying it with a sigh.

As soon as she left her room, there was soft, warm pressure against her ankles, an inquiring  _ mrrrow? _ and two beseeching eyes peering up at her.

“Oh, yes, Niima, I know how hard your life is, and I am  _ so  _ sorry. You must be absolutely  _ starving _ . Shame on that selfish woman who wanted to sleep after the last time she fed you. I don’t know her, but if I did, I’d give her a piece of my mind, yes, I would.” She leaned down and petted the little tabby affectionately. Niima slid out from under Rey’s hand, raised her tail, and stalked into the kitchen, clearly unimpressed.

Sighing, Rey dutifully followed her cat into the kitchen. Niima watched balefully as Rey filled the kettle and turned it on. After setting out her favorite oversized mug, then preparing a ball full of her preferred breakfast tea blend, Rey opened the refrigerator as Niima looked on with interest.

Clearly, the cat recognized the yellow packet as soon as it came out. Rey measured out the right amount of the fancy chilled food that arrived in weekly shipments, then set down the bowl on the cat mat. Turning to the fridge again, Rey grabbed the filter pitcher and topped off Niima’s water bowl. Judging by the way the cat was gobbling, she’d definitely need to wash it down.

By the time she was done with that, her kettle was boiling. Rey poured hot water over her leaves and waited. She weighed the idea of toast, but decided she wasn’t really hungry yet.

When it had steeped long enough, she removed the ball, picked up the mug, then went to sit by the window. Raindrops streamed down the glass and pattered softly over her patio garden, nourishing her plants and making them strong. 

Sipping her tea, Rey pulled the collar of her robe a little closer around her neck. She wasn’t cold, but the grey sky made her want to be cozier. The fuzz of her robe and the warmth of her tea did the trick.

She turned on the lamp on the side table, then set her mug down on a coaster. Rey settled back into the comfort of the sofa, then reached toward the table again to grab the top book from the stack piled there. The little pile of books was the fruit of yesterday’s splurge at the used book store. All these new universes, just waiting for Rey to wander into them with her cup of tea.

Just before she opened her book, she picked up a remote and pressed a few buttons. Soft, contemplative piano music filled the room. Niima, having conquered her meal, came to loaf atop Rey’s legs, becoming an unwitting passenger on her mistress’ journey to a world far, far away.

*******

Many chapters in, Rey surfaced from her novel when she realized that her tea was gone. She slipped a marker into her book and set it aside. Niima looked up at the sudden motion and began kneading at Rey’s thigh.

“I know; I think I’m starting to get hungry, too,” she agreed, giving her cat a few scritches. She picked up her phone and pulled up a delivery app, already knowing the exact kind of comfort food she wanted, then punched in her order. It would be here in an hour. Excellent. She shifted to get off the sofa, letting Niima hop to the floor. The cat immediately pranced toward the kitchen. Rey chuckled at the presumption, then headed kitchenward herself. The smell of the freeze-dried chicken giblets was not her favorite thing, so she turned her head away slightly as she opened the packet and shook a few into Niima’s bowl. 

While Niima was occupied with her snack, Rey went into the bathroom, slipped off her robe and pajamas, then turned on the shower, letting it get nice and hot before she stepped in. She took her time, first shampooing, then letting the deep conditioner work into her hair as she scrubbed with the sweet-smelling exfoliating body wash. Finally, she rinsed off, her skin tingling and refreshed as she stepped out of the tub.

She wrapped her head in a small towel, then patted her body dry with a much larger one. Taking the time to rub her good lotion over her arms and legs felt like a treat. Slipping into her yoga pants and t-shirt with her smooth skin felt like luxury. 

Just as she’d put her fluffy slippers back on, there was a knock at her door. Perfect. She opened the door, passed the delivery person a cash tip, then accepted the warm box. As soon as the door was shut, Rey set the pizza box on the table, then sat and opened it. The pizza was still piping hot, and she grabbed a slice right out of the box and took a big bite. 

The crust was thin and crispy, with smoky hints of its fire-roasted origins. But the real star was the spinach and pineapple atop the pizza. The combination of the sweet pineapple and the slightly bitter spinach was sublime. But really, the best part of this was that there was nobody here to give her shit about her choices. Slice after slice was consumed in pure joy. Sated for the moment, Rey closed the box, even now anticipating the delicious cold leftovers.

When she went back into the kitchen, Niima was lapping water, but paused to watch Rey wash her hands, then turn on her kettle. 

“I see your bowl is clean--treats are good, aren’t they? This is definitely a day for treats, Niima.” Rey grinned at the little tabby. She figured they’d reached some sort of understanding and continued smiling as she dried her hands on the dish towel with the cat rubbing around her soft slippers.

Just as Rey poured boiling water over a ball of her favorite daytime blend, there was a knock on the door. That was odd, but she went toward the door and looked out the peephole. Nobody was there. She opened the door a crack, then looked down to see a small padded envelope on the floor. She reached out, grabbed it, then closed and locked the door again.

Rey sat down on the sofa with the envelope, looking at the postmark--the zip code was near here, just yesterday. Ah. This wasn’t the first time in the last week she’d received something postmarked with the same zip code. The mail had been interesting lately. All week, she’d been getting postcards, with so many different pictures. One was an image from right here, just a few miles away, most certainly sent from the local airport. But then, there were cards with images and postmarks from across Europe and the Middle East, all with short messages--sometimes just a few words of affection, sometimes just a small, adorable cartoon of her and Niima.

Among all of the exotic mail had been a few greeting cards with a local postmark. The greeting cards had had the same loving messages and cute drawings as the postcards. She was fairly sure that Mitaka had been deputized to send those on a schedule. But all the cards had fit in the mailbox. 

This one hadn’t. She tore open the padded envelope. There was another envelope inside. It held a card. On the front was a photo of a cat who looked quite a bit like Niima. There were no printed words on the inside, but there were many words in Ben’s beautiful handwriting.

_Rey,_

_ I’m still home as I’m writing this, but I want you to know that I love you so much and I hope you’re just having the best day. Here’s something I finished a little before I left. It’s not perfect, but maybe you can see that I’m getting better at this, and that I’m not completely hopeless. _

_ All my love, _

_Ben _

Only after reading his words did Rey pick up the object that had fallen out of the card when she opened it. It was fuzzy and blue and a little smaller than the palm of her hand, a little pulled and imperfect, but so full of love--a crocheted heart made of yarn.

**Author's Note:**

> Once again, happy birthday, my dear!


End file.
